BUY A KAYAK CART: INTRO

Before reading KFC’s Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Kayak Cart, we suggest you spend some time with KFC’s Kayak Cart Ultimate Guide, where we have posted a thorough write up and guide as to all things kayak cart. Once you’ve broadened your knowledge of kayak cart products, you’ll understand why these pieces of kayak fishing gear are so valued by kayak fisherman of all levels of experience.

Unbiased Review

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Any kayak fishing product you see on KayakFishingCorner.com, including within this Buy a Kayak Cart article, is reviewed based upon KFC’s unbiased research and analysis.

KFC has committed to never unfairly feature or showcase any retailer or manufacturer. All featured kayak fishing products have been evaluated on an equal playing field. All kayak fishing products have equal opportunity to impress KFC’s writers, we ensure they each get a fair shake. Each has its own opportunity at being displayed on KayakFishingCorner.com!

Overview

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KFC has worked to ensure that this article includes all of the important details that you’ll need to know prior to making your decision to buy a kayak cart. We have organized this article to contain several separate categories. Why? Because we feel that each category is important for helping you decide what to do in terms of the next piece of kayak fishing gear that you purchase.

First, we have a short overview about the kayak cart itself. Second, we have a brief “how to” instructional checklist so that if you do decide to buy a kayak cart, you’ll be well acquainted with how to use it. Third, we break down a number of reasons why we think each and every kayak fisherman ought to buy a kayak cart. Next, we include a link to the product page of our favorite kayak cart where you can learn more about the product details. Finally, we have a brief story about our own experience with a kayak cart.

Perhaps you are still deciding whether a kayak cart is right for you. Kayak fishing is an expensive hobby. While kayak carts are reasonably inexpensive, relative to other kayak fishing gear that is, they still range from $50 to $200, and that expense is nothing to disregard. That is why KFC was inspired to write this Buy a Kayak Cart article – Its aim is to assist the undecided kayak fisherman make a decision about whether to purchase a kayak cart for him or her self.

After you read our Buy a Kayak Cart article, we think you’ll agree with our opinion that a kayak cart is an absolute necessity, for a variety of reasons, and the premier time to buy a kayak cart is when initially buying your fishing kayak. Perhaps you’ll even be able to convince a retailer to give you a bulk discount. We hope you’ll write to KFC and tell us whether you agree with the reasons stated in our Buy a Kayak Cart article. Perhaps you have even more reasons than we state here? We hope you enjoy reading this article as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it!

How to Use a Kayak Cart

We don’t want our readers to buy a kayak cart without first learning whether it is right for them. Even after deciding that it is right for them, we want to make sure our readers use the product correctly. After all, kayaks are quite heavy, and misusing a kayak cart could cause harm to you, those around you, and even your kayak! Following the proper instructions will ensure that you use your kayak cart in the safest possible manner. So, let’s take a look at the step by step process for how to use kayak cart below.

First, place the kayak cart on a flat surface, ideally nearby your kayak.

Put the wheels flat on the ground and gently pull open each arm of the kayak cart.

A “cradle” will form when you pull the kayak cart’s arms apart. It is in this location that you will want to locate the kayak.

Lift the kayak up and hold it over the kayak cart. The idea is to gently lower the kayak into the middle of the cradle, thus creating the most equalized distribution of weight.

We always like to confirm that the kayak is centered and the kayak cart is balanced by lightly pushing on the front and back of the kayak. When we do this, we look to determine if the kayak tilts too far backwards or forwards.

At this time, it makes sense to check the wheels to ensure that they are not protruding outward or are otherwise under too much strain from the load. Most kayak carts can handle well over 100lbs, but be sure to check the load capacity of your own kayak before placing the load.

Finally, while gravity should keep your kayak safely nestled in its cradle, you should always use the included straps to loop around the kayak and tighten down. This will keep your kayak from bouncing free when traversing winding or bumpy roads.

That’s it! You are all set to use your kayak cart to assist you in getting your kayak to and from the water with ease!

Buy a Kayak Cart: Important Features

You learned on our Kayak Cart Ultimate Guide that kayak carts come in a number of shapes and sizes. They are also referred to by a number of different names! Commonly you might hear a kayak cart referred to as a “kayak trolley”, a “kayak buggy”, a “kayak tote”, a “kayak dolly”, or sometimes even a “kayak carrier”. Generally these names all refer to the same piece of kayak fishing gear.

The KFC team is comprised of kayak fishing traditionalists. For that reason we have decided to refer to this particular piece of kayak fishing gear as a “kayak cart”. It seems that only the kayak cart naming system is incapable of being misidentified as some different type of kayak fishing accessory (“kayak carrier” for instance, is a more generic term, also applying to kayak trailers).

Regardless of name, this piece of kayak fishing gear is a life saver, regardless of experience level. There are hundreds of reasons to love your kayak cart, and when KFC was asked to reduce the list to only a handful of reasons, we knew we were in for a tricky test. The result is this Buy a Kayak Cart post, and while we’ve paid a lot of attention to several different categories of “reasons”, you should know that some types of reasons have been collapsed into one overarching “reason”.

Safety. Regular readers of KayakFishingCorner.com know that the safety of the kayak fishing community is the #1 priority of our website. You’ve already read about my friend and the near-miss experienced while trying to move her fishing kayak by hand. Fishing kayaks are long, irregularly shaped, and are difficult to get a good grip on. It is this combination of factors that makes transporting a fishing kayak by hand a very tricky endeavor.

Kayak carts are designed to safely cradle the load of your fishing kayak. Their weight is dispersed over wide set frames which are attached to heavy duty tires. This makes sure that the fishing kayak doesn’t slip while under transport. This keeps the kayak fisherman and the fishing kayak safe and sound.

Like the kayak cart shown above, most kayak carts come with heavy duty strapping to make sure the fishing kayak stays safely secured to the kayak cart’s cradle. The angle of the kayak cart, the reinforced central axle, and the heavy duty strapping, result in the kayak cart ensuring that its user, and the fishing kayak, travel to their kayak fishing destination safely and securely.

Variety. Often times, the destination you want to kayak fish requires you to walk a long distance. If this walk is too far, like a half mile or even further, you might be tempted to pass on the opportunity, even if only because transporting your fishing kayak this far is so labor intensive!

Don’t give up on a great kayak fishing spot simply because the path to get to the water is too difficult. This challenge is easily addressed by a kayak cart. Kayak carts allow you to increase the variety of kayak fishing destinations that are accessible to you. The expansion in venues provided by a kayak cart secured “variety” its spot on this Buy a Kayak Cart post.

Convenience. Even KFC has to admit that kayak fishing comes with some “logistics issues” which present certain difficulties. We used to try to kayak fish in groups of two. Why? Well, it was so much easier to carry our fishing kayaks with another set of helping hands. Sometimes, however, I wanted to go out on the water alone. I knew that I needed an extra hand, but not necessarily a “human” hand.

The kayak cart has proven to be the helping hand I was looking for! I quickly loaded my fishing kayak into the kayak carrier, secured it with heavy duty straps, and began to pull it to my destination. Once I arrived at the water, I didn’t have to go back to the car to help my friend with the second kayak! I just folded up the kayak cart, tossed it in the hull of the fishing kayak, and paddled out onto the water! Just like that, I knew that “convenience” was an obvious choice to be included in this Buy a Kayak Cart article. Want to learn more about convenience in kayak fishing? Learn how to safely store your kayak cart and fishing kayak in your garage!

Longevity. Fishing kayaks are pretty pricey! You can easily spend more than two thousand dollars on a fishing kayak and the gear that goes along with it. With the upfront cost, it can be tempting to try to save money where possible. Possibly this means skipping out on a kayak cart, but don’t do it! Kayak carts are one of the best ways to increase the longevity of your fishing kayak. Why?

Kayak carts are built to cradle your fishing kayak at an angle which safely cradles and disperses the weight of the fishing kayak, keeping it from becoming deformed. Remember, deformation is a risk you run by transporting the kayak by a different type of transportation method. Kayak carts often feature padded kayak cradles. These are designed to protect the hull of your fishing kayak and keep it as scratch free as Day 1. KFC discovered that the kayak cart paid for itself quickly in terms of better “longevity”. Thats why this feature was included on this Buy a Kayak Cart article!

“Friends” could be reason #1 on this Buy a Kayak Cart article. Why? Not only is it fun to go out onto the water with several of your friends and their fishing kayaks safely in tow, its fun that the transportation of these fishing kayaks is now a “one man job” rather than a “team effort”. A kayak cart allows you to be self sufficient. Some even allow you to cart two fishing kayaks at one time!

Use your hands to bring along extra kayak fishing gear. Let your kayak cart do the heavy lifting for you. Kayak carts, while small, can manage large loads. They are much more stable than you and your friend working to balance the fishing kayak all while also attempting to stay on the path! Finally, make sure you (and your friend!) keep your hands blister free. Avoid blisters that are sure to follow after trying to transport the fishing kayak by hand!

Buy a Kayak Cart: Our Favorite Model

We’ve included all of the important features above. There is no doubt that the kayak cart depicted above is the Best Kayak Cart on the market today. Perhaps its single best quality, above all of the other important features that we mention, is its high quality manufacturing.

Believe it or not, many kayak carts simply can’t stand up to the rigors of kayak fishing. They’ll weaken at the hinges, or their tires will lose tread (or even fail). This manufacturer has designed a kayak cart that can withstand becoming dry, then wet, then dry again, over and over. If your kayak cart can’t withstand the rigors of kayak fishing by featuring “wet again” and “dry again” capabilities, then what is the point of buying it? Your money is better spent elsewhere.

My Experience

I knew it was time to buy a kayak cart after a buddy of mine had an incident while trying to carry her fishing kayak down a rocky embankment near Lake Keystone in Tulsa, Oklahoma in May of 2015. There had been many days of rainfall leading up to the trip, and my friend slipped on some mud and almost badly hurt herself. She dropped her fishing kayak to avoid really hurting herself! Luckily, she was not injured, but her fishing kayak was scrapped pretty deeply on the bottom and sides:

We promised each other that we wouldn’t again risk injury to ourselves (or further damage to our fishing kayaks!) by trying to carry our fishing kayaks by hand, especially when we were aware that there were products available on the market like kayak carts that would make transportation of fishing kayaks much easier and safer. Much of the research we did when making the decision about which kayak cart to buy has been organized into this Buy a Kayak Cart article. Hopefully you are able to save some time due to the research we’ve already done for you!

BUY A KAYAK CART: SUMMARY

I hope this article has helped you learn about the things you’ll want to consider when making the decision to buy a kayak cart. Remember, if you have any questions about whether you should buy a kayak cart, or whether a particular model will suit your needs, be sure to leave a comment near the end of this page.

Narrowing all the features of a kayak cart into just the reasons you see stated in this Buy a Kayak Cart post was no easy task. There are tens, if not hundreds, of reasons why you ought to consider purchasing a kayak cart early on in your kayak fishing experience. Yes, we listed safety, variety, convenience, longevity and friends as our top 5 reasons to Buy a Kayak Cart, but do you agree? Learn more about the Sit On Top Kayak Cart depicted in the images above!

Let us know if you disagree with any of our reasons above. What have you found that you like about the kayak carts on the market today? Found any that are particularly reliable? Affordable? Experiences you or your friends have had while using the kayak cart? Share your story with us! Kayak Carts are the perfect piece of kayak fishing gear! Another one of our favorites? The Fishing Kayak Anchor – Try it, you’ll wonder how you kayak fished without it! By the way, we use a boat launch to help slip the kayak off the cart and into the water – make sure to learn the etiquette before you try the helpful method!

Think that you’re one of the best around, and want to enter or watch a kayak fishing tournament in person? You can! Find out more, here!

Comments

Do you have any questions regarding KFC’s Buy a Kayak Cart article? Have you found a particular model of kayak cart that you’d like to share with our community? Questions about kayak fishing in general? Please share with the rest of the KayakFishingCorner community by posting in the Comments section below.